National Basketball Association

Bulls Player Outlooks: Jimmy Butler

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Our final player outlook of the offseason here at PAE will revolve around the face of the franchise: Jimmy Butler. Can he and the rest of the “Three Alphas” make it work in Chicago?

Jimmy Butler’s first season as a “star” in the NBA didn’t exactly go according to plan.

It wasn’t just that the Chicago Bulls finished 42-40 and missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2007-08 season.

The main culprits of Butler’s struggling to truly grasp being a star in the NBA were his inability to mesh with backcourt mate Derrick Rose (and vice versa) on the floor, a sprained knee that all but ended the playoff hopes for the Bulls, and putting more on his plate than he really had to.

Butler tried to grasp the role of leader for the Bulls, instead of it coming naturally. There were times on and off the floor that Butler tried harder than he needed to.

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Whether it was telling Fred Hoiberg that the Bulls needed to be “coached harder” or attempting to do it all on both ends for the Bulls, as good as Butler is, he struggled last season. The whole franchise did.

But, he has a new outlook this season.

He’s officially the face that runs the place now with Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah in New York Knick uniforms. Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo both have said that this is “Jimmy’s team“.

The spotlight is on Butler to produce. He’s truly a star. The brands are taking notice. He won a gold medal in Rio with the U.S. Men’s Olympic Team. He’s entering the prime of his career on a team-friendly $90 million deal he signed last summer.

So, what does Butler need to do/what can we expect to see from Butler this season?

Yes, if Butler is going to take threes, he has to make them

In 65 games during his breakout 2014-15 season with the Bulls, Jimmy Butler shot 193 three-pointers and made 37.8 percent of those attempts.

In 67 games during last season with the Bulls, Jimmy Butler shot 205 three-pointers and made just 31.2 percent of those attempts.

Butler’s drop in three-point percentage could be chalked up to bad shot selection, fatigue (which led to the injuries, specifically the sprained knee), and the fact the Bulls just couldn’t find a rhythm in Hoiberg’s sets offensively as a whole.

It’s simple: Butler has to make threes at a more consistent rate. It’s been well-documented all summer that Butler, Rondo and Wade aren’t good three-point shooters, which doesn’t add up for Fred Hoiberg’s true style of play as a head coach.

Butler addressed the Bulls on offense at Media Day this past Monday by saying:

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe D-Wade has scored a lot of points when it came to putting that ball in that basket,” Butler said. “I’ve done decently the last couple years. Rondo can do that. And if Rondo can’t, he damn sure can get find a way to get the ball to somebody who can. I don’t think putting the ball in the basket is going to be an issue for us.”

(CBS Chicago, Cody Westerlund)

Hoiberg has adjusted as a head coach. He’s taken in different pieces and gotten them to mesh in the past as Iowa State’s head coach.

If Butler and the rest of the “Three Alphas” can work together and mesh with guys like Melvin Ejim and DeAndre Kane did playing for Hoiberg, Butler’s shooting could see a resurgence.

The Bulls have a rim protector, but they need their wing stopper back

There’s a reason why Jimmy Butler played with the second unit for Team USA down in Rio this past summer.

When you put Butler, Kyle Lowry and Paul George together — three of the best defenders in the NBA at their best — defense can turn into offense in a hurry.

That’s what the Bulls need from Butler this season.

Rondo and Wade’s defense on the perimeter has taken a hit over the years. Robin Lopez protecting the rim will help the Bulls on the defensive end, but the Bulls will need Butler’s ability to keep wings in front of him and jumping passing lanes all season.

Butler’s defensive rating — albeit, isn’t the perfect measure, but alas — was the highest it has ever been in his career last season (106). As Butler’s usage percentage has gone up (24.4 percent last season), his defensive numbers have gone down.

That doesn’t mean Butler isn’t a bad defender. It just means his work load has gotten heavier as his offensive game has evolved (and the Bulls overall were just bad defensively last season).

But, the Bulls need Butler’s defensive production. He’s the best the Bulls have to offer.

Butler needs to be a leader, but a listener as well

Jimmy Butler tried to take the reigns as a leader last season and throughout the year, it just didn’t work.

Like I mentioned earlier, it appeared that Butler just tried to say he’s a leader and he tried harder than he needed to in that aspect.

Butler was asked about that during Bulls Media Day this past Monday:

“I told Fred, ‘As much as you can, use me as an example,’” Butler said. “‘I want you to really get on my tail about every little thing.’ Because if Doug [McDermott] or Tony [Snell] or whoever it may be is watching coach talk to me like that, it’s going to be like, ‘If he can talk to Jimmy like that, I know he’s going to come at me a certain way.’ That’s what I try to remind him every day. I think he’s ready for that. I’m a player. I’m coachable like everybody else. I want that. I need that.”

(The Athletic, Sean Highkin)

It’s one thing to talk about this. It’s another to go through and learn from your mistakes.

If that means taking a backseat and let Dwyane Wade cook on some nights, then so be it. The point is, Butler has not only lead by example, but listen. You learn more when you listen. Whether it’s Rondo, Wade or Hoiberg, listening will help as much as leadering (TM: Blog a Bull).

The key for Butler and the Bulls this season is that he learns from last year, improves himself and provides a better outlook for a Bulls team in his second year of being a “star”.

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